In recent years, novel Bluetongue virus (BTV) serotypes have been isolated and/or sequenced by researchers within the field. During Bluetongue surveillance activities, we identified a putative novel BTV serotype in healthy goats from Sardinia, Italy. RNAs purified from blood and serum samples were positive for BTV by a generic real time RT-PCR and c-ELISA, respectively, whereas genotyping and serotyping were unsuccessful. By NGS, the whole genome sequence was obtained from two blood samples (BTV-X ITL2015 strains 34200 and 33531). Overall, Seg 2 of BTV-X ITL2015 shows the highest identity (75.3-75.5% nt/77.4-78.1% aa) with recently isolated BTV-27s from Corsica and with the last discovered BTV XJ1407 from China (75.9% nt /78.2% aa), whereas it is less related with BTV-25 from Switzerland (73.0% nt/75.0% aa) and BTV-26 from Kuwait (62.0% nt/60.5% aa). A specific RT-qPCR targeting Seg 2 of BTV-X ITL2015 was assessed in this study. Considering the Seg 2/VP2 identity of BTV-X ITL2015 with BTV-25, 26, 27s and BTV XJ1407 and that serum of BTV-X ITL2015 infected goats failed to neutralize all tested extant serotypes, we propose the existence of a novel BTV serotype circulating in goats in Sardinia. Isolation was so far unsuccessful thus hampering proper antigenic characterization.

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A B S T R A C TFeline morbillivirus (FeMV) is an emerging morbillivirus first described in cats less than a decade ago. FeMV has been associated with chronic kidney disease of cats characterized by tubulointerstitial nephritis (TIN), although this aspect is still controversial and not demonstrated with certainty. To investigate FeMV prevalence and genomic characteristics, an epidemiological survey was conducted in a total number of 127 household cats originating from two Italian regions, Abruzzi and Emilia-Romagna. A total number of 69 cats originating from three feline colonies were also enrolled for the study. Correlation with TIN was investigated by employing a total number of 35 carcasses. Prevalence of FeMV RNA was higher in urine samples collected from cats of colonies (P = 31.8%, CI 95% 22.1-43.6) compared to household cats (P = 8.66%, CI 95% 4.9-14.9) and in young and middle-aged cats while prevalence of FeMV Abs was higher in old cats. Sequences obtained straight from infected biological samples, either partial or complete, cluster into two clades within FeMV genotype 1, distantly related to FeMV genotype 2. Immunohistochemistry analysis of kidney sections of FeMV RNA positive cats revealed immunoreactivity within epithelial cells of renal tubuli and inflammatory cells. However, statistically significant association between FeMV and renal damages, including TIN, was not demonstrated (p= 0.0695, Fisher exact test). By virus histochemistry performed with FeMV-negative feline tissues and a FeMV isolate, tropism for different cellular types such as inflammatory cells residing in blood vessels of kidney and brain, airway epithelial cells, alveolar macrophages and to a lesser extent, the central nervous system, was demonstrated. Additional studies are warranted in order to establish viral tropism and immune response during the early phases of infection and to disentangle the role of FeMV in co-infection processes.

West Nile virus (WNV) transmission has been confirmed in the last four years in Europe and in the Mediterranean Basin. An increasing concern towards West Nile disease (WND) has been observed due to the high number of human and animal cases reported in these areas confirming the importance of this zoonosis. A new epidemiological scenario is currently emerging: although new introductions of the virus from abroad are always possible, confirming the epidemiological role played by migratory birds, the infection endemisation in some European territories today is a reality supported by the constant reoccurrence of the same strains across years in the same geographical areas. Despite the WND reoccurrence in the Old World, the overwintering mechanisms are not well known, and the role of local resident birds or mosquitoes in this context is poorly understood. A recent new epidemiological scenario is the spread of lineage 2 strain across European and Mediterranean countries in regions where lineage 1 strain is still circulating creating favourable conditions for genetic reassortments and emergence of new strains. This paper summarizes the main epidemiological findings on WNV occurrence in Europe and in the Mediterranean Basin from 2009 to 2013, considering potential future spread patterns.

SummaryThe interaction between living beings, including men, animals and pathogens, sharing the same environment, should be considered as a unique dynamic system, in which the health of each component is inextricably interconnected and dependent with the others. Nowadays, a new integrated One Health approach is reflecting this interdependence with a holistic view to the ecological system. The One Health approach can be defined as a collaborative and a multidisciplinary effort at local, national and global level to guarantee an optimal healthy status for humans, animals and environment. Strictly related to the One Health concept is to be considered the control of infectious diseases, which have influenced the course of human history. Four different components might be identified as key elements within the 'One World -One Health' (OWOH) approach: the geographical component, the ecological one, the human activities and the food-agricultural ones.